14 Fox Focus | Research
Research News
By Jen FIsher Wilson
New Form of Deep Brain Stimulation Adjusts Automatically
In a big step forward for deep brain stimulation( DBS), a new adaptive system made available earlier this year can adjust stimulation in real time based on an individual’ s brain signals. When medication kicks in, adaptive DBS senses the change and reduces stimulation. Similarly, when medication wears off, it increases stimulation. This is an advance over standard continuous DBS, which stimulates the brain at a steady rate regardless of medication levels. The new system, called the Medtronic Precept, has been in development for more than 10 years, with early funding from MJFF laying the groundwork for this update.
PET scan imaging has given researchers the first-ever look at alpha-synuclein clumps inside the brain. The scan above compares the brains of two study volunteers and two people with cerebellar-type multiple system atrophy.
Research Continues to Pinpoint Alpha-Synuclein in the Brain
Researchers are zeroing in on an imaging tool that could make alpha-synuclein, the protein that clumps inside the brains of people with Parkinson’ s, visible through a 3D PET scan. While PD’ s breakthrough fluidbased biomarker for PD detects the presence of alphasynuclein, a successful tracer— a molecule specially designed to reveal alpha-synuclein on 3D PET scans— would provide the field with a critical biomarker to shed light on disease progression and monitor how well a person is responding to treatment. At least six alpha-synuclein tracers are now in human trials. MJFF has invested for well over a decade in finding alphasynuclein tracers, and the three finalists from our Ken Griffin Alpha-Synuclein Imaging Competition are among those in human trials.